Fans of the Legend of Zelda games are eagerly awaiting Breath of the Wild 2, which is expected to release in the first half of 2023. Little is known about the new title, and fans are curious about the game’s features. The first Breath of the Wild game introduced several new mechanics, both to the Zelda franchise and gaming as a whole. This leaves fans wondering if the sequel will add even more innovative gaming concepts.
Even if Breath of the Wild 2 does not add any innovations, the game is still all but guaranteed to continue the ground-breaking mechanics that its predecessor introduced. Nintendo solved many problems often seen in open-world titles, ensuring that future video games of any platform follow suit. As a result, gaming, as it had been done for decades, changed forever. From creating a true open world to doing away with traditional leveling systems, Zelda Breath of the Wild has become the cornerstone for games to come.
A True Open World
Open-world games have been popular for decades, going back to Sega’s 1975 arcade game. Gun Fight. The appeal is that the boundaries of the map are virtually endless, giving gamers an even more immersive experience.
However, Breath of the Wild turned the concept of an open world on its head. In the first open-world game on the Nintendo Switch, players could interact with every map feature. There are no invisible forcefields keeping players from entering an area from the wrong angle or annoying glitches when they try to walk over rough terrains, such as in games like The Witcher. Every surface being climbable allowed for unlimited exploration and has since been adopted by newer titles like Genshin Impact.
A Simplified Concept
Due to the complicated nature of open-world games, titles will either put their players through grueling tutorials that break the immersive illusion or throw them in and let them figure it out as they go. Of course, neither method is perfect, but it has become the accepted norm.
However, Breath of the Wild took a risk by simplifying the players’ skills and objectives and removing excessive hand-holding. Instead, an organic tutorial sequence explained the main features of the game: health, stamina, inventory, runes, shrines, and towers. From here, players can set off into the enormous world and discover the infinite ways these primary futures can be used within the game.
Paragliding
In Breath of the Wild, if players stand up on a cliff and see a far-off feature that looks interesting, all they have to do is jump and pull out their paraglider. This mechanic became an absolute staple of the game and exploring the vast world would have been near impossible without it.
Past open-world games would make travel arduous, resulting in many players opting to fast travel and avoiding exploring as much as possible. Games like Horizon Forbidden West recognized this as a waste of a great map and introduced their paragliders, allowing players to efficiently navigate its limitless world.
A Story That Can Be Followed In Any Order
Games in the Zelda franchises are known for their deep stories, but the typical format of these legends would be difficult to mesh with an open-world concept. To solve this, Breath of the Wild introduced the ability to unlock Link’s memories by finding landscape “triggers,” revealing the story in any random order.
Once players have found each memory, they can play them back in the correct order if they want. Of course, players can opt out of the story portion of the game together if they find gameplay more important. While many fans hope Breath of the Wild 2 will have a more complex plot, it will likely still be played out in this innovative fashion.
Control Over The Map
Maps in open-world games can quickly become overwhelming. For example, the Assassin’s Creed games will fill up a map with icons that show players where everything is to guide their adventure. This can be helpful but eliminates any thrill or excitement at discovering something new.
However, in Breath of the Wild, when a section of a map fills in, all players can see are landscape features like mountains, lakes, rivers, etc. Then, it is up to the player to fill the map however they want. Various stickers are available that gamers can associate with their meaning, and colored marks can be placed to give a little extra guidance. Everything is as clear and organized as that player wants, ensuring everyone can explore their way. This is a feature that gamers are anticipating in new games, including Breath of the Wild 2.
No Traditional Level-Up System
Zelda games have never followed a traditional leveling-up system. Instead, Link would typically get a new heart container with every dungeon and a new item that opened up new possibilities. However, to achieve the genuinely open-world format the game had established, Link needed to grow and improve more flexibly.
Traditional level-up systems like Skyrim are often elaborate and jam-packed with skill improvements like lock-picking, weapon handling, magic, and armor. However, the beauty of Zelda games is simplicity. Link can use his Spirit Orbs to increase his stamina and health and get a variety of items in Breath of the Wild To help players better defeat enemies and explore, ensuring that the more gamers play, the more opportunities they have within the game.
Logical Physics
While Breath of the Wild significantly improved open-world games by simplifying them, there were also several examples of intricate detail within the game. For example, every feature of the game will behave logically. Trees can be cut down, grass can be set on fire, things filled with air will float, and metal will conduct electricity.
This is more than just attention to detail, however. Players can take advantage of the world’s physics to orchestrate any number of strategies. If fighting in a storm, players can electrocute an enemy by placing metal by them. If it has just rained and the ground is covered in puddles, Cryonis might give access to previously unreachable places. As long as it should work, it likely will.
Cooking
Many video games include edible items that can increase health or give the player various skill benefits. Games with potions or spells might allow players to create these themselves if they collect the right ingredients. However, Breath of the Wild took this a step further.
In the game, any food item can be cooked to increase the number of hearts it can grant. However, combining certain foods will allow players to customize the effects the food will give them. A meal or elixir can increase defense or attack, grant resistance to heat or cold, and much more. This is achieved through trial and error experimentation and is another example of how the simplicity of Breath of the Wild increases gamer choices.
Breakable Weapons
Past Zelda games had a set amount of weapons or tools that players would collect by the end of the game. However, since Breath of the Wild technically has no gameplay end, this mechanic would give players little reason to keep exploring.
Other games like Grand Theft Auto provide their players with unlimited weapons to find and use, but excellent weapons quickly become dull when gamers know they can use them at any time. To solve this, Breath of the Wild made their weapons breakable. This forces players to be strategic with their weapons. The higher-value swords and bows won’t last forever, so gamers must choose carefully when to use them.
Korok Seeds
As any Breath of the Wild fan knows, breaking weapons can be frustrating when only a few can be carried at a time. However, players are allowed to grow their storage as they play, which, on its own, is not a new mechanic in gaming.
However, BotW set up hundreds of little puzzles all over the map that, when solved, will grant them a Korok seed. As these seeds are collected, Link can trade them for more storage space. This combined the iconic puzzles of other Zelda games with the practical reward of being able to carry more at a time. When new games adopt the open-world concepts of Breath of the Wildan equivalent to the Korok seed mechanic is a must.
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